Stephen Curry said nice things about Tara VanDerveer, the head coach of the Stanford women’s basketball team, after she won her 1,200th game over the weekend. Curry has been paying more attention to the Cardinal in recent years.
Stephen Curry, a star for the Golden State Warriors, keeps a close eye on the Stanford women’s basketball team because his mother’s goddaughter is a great post player named Cameron Brink.
This weekend, as famous Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer got close to a big goal, Curry made sure to praise her.
With Sunday’s 71–59 win over Washington, VanDerveer earned her 1,200th career win as a coach. She is now only two wins behind former Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski for the NCAA record.
“Absolutely amazing,” Curry, who has been to Stanford games this season, said. She is a celebrity and an icon. What this program means for basketball in general. It’s cool to have a family member to see it up close and personal more than I did before, with Cam [Brink] there.
“So going to games with her (VanDerveer) and getting to know her a bit, she is just a hoop head.” Cam talked about how many movies she watches and how hard she works, even though she is had a lot of success. A pretty amazing turning point. Hope she breaks the record soon, and I hope she gets flowers for it.
Stanford is named No. 8 in the new top-25 poll that came out Monday. They have a 14-1 record this season. Brink scores 18.5 points per game and grabs 11.3 rebounds per game, making her the team leader. She is expected to be picked in the first round of the WNBA Draft. The 6-foot-4 inside player has been on Team USA’s youth teams for a long time.
The Cardinal also depend on new co-star Kiki Iriafen to help with production. Iriafen’s scoring has gone up by 10 points per game since last year. This gives the team a second strong threat in the paint who can beat opponents whose best interior defender is on Brink.
VanDerveer is a three-time NCAA Tournament champion, and this year’s talented squad gives her a chance to win another title. There are a lot of other teams in college basketball that could win, like South Carolina, UCLA, and Baylor, who have all won their games so far. However, VanDerveer’s experience will provide Stanford with confidence entering the NCAA Tournament, and it will likely carry a top-three seed.
VanDerveer told CBS Sports before the season, “I think we are in a great spot.” “When the ball gets tossed up, I’m really glad we have our team. Other teams have some really great players. I know some great guys at LSU. The players in Connecticut are great. Iowa has great players. But we have great players too.”
The Cardinal will be ready for March Madness because the Pac-12 schedule is tough. On Friday, they must visit No. 19 Utah and Alissa Pili, called the “best player in the country” by South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. Brink and his team will go away to play No. 5 Colorado on Sunday.
